Longtime Real Salt Lake centerback Marcelo Silva’s run with the club appears to be coming to an end.
The 35-year-old Uruguayan is out of contract after a season in which he only appeared in three games, RSL announced Wednesday.
Silva played in 131 games (124 as a starter) after joining RSL from Spain’s Real Zaragoza in 2017. In 2022, Silva served as the team’s acting captain for the majority of the season.
During an April training, Silva stepped on a ball and went down awkwardly. RSL said he “sheared the ligament that connects his hamstring to the femur off the bone” and would need four to six months to rehab without surgery.
RSL made a number of roster moves this week as it prepares for an important offseason. The team set a club record for points in a season last year, but failed to get past the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Real Salt Lake forward Rubio Rubin (14) celebrates a goal making it 3-0 against the Seattle Sounders of a Leagues Cup soccer match Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Sandy, Utah.
The club declined to pick up the option on forward Rubio Rubin, who had scored 12 goals over 93 games since joining RSL in 2021. In April, he was loaned to Queretaro of Liga MX, where he scored three goals in 10 league matches.
The team also declined options on the following players: defender Kevin Bonilla, defender Erik Holt, defender Jaziel Orozco, forward Bertin Jacquesson, forward Benji Michel, forward Ilijah Paul, and defender Delentz Pierre.
RSL picked up options on goalkeeper Gavin Beavers, forward Anderson Julio, defender Javain Brown, midfielder Noel Caliskan, defender Philip Quinton and defender Tommy Silva.
Along with Silva, midfielder Maikel Chang and goalkeeper Tomas Gomez are now out of contract, RSL announced Wednesday.